I lament the things I see or hear but cannot share. Though one day I believe we will see the death of that which is ephemeral: nothing which cannot be recorded. No conversation unrecorded, no image too fleeting to capture.

I saw a scarf of birds today whose acrobatic flight paths were too intricate and quick for digital film. Lately I’ve found a general fascination with the notion of recording and keeping everything in hopes that one day some future anthropologist will stumble upon it and make sense of my life.

So, frustrated and paralyzed by the need to capture this fleeting beauty (to analyze later), I sat and watched the birds’ erratic yet enchanting dance in the sky. And then it hit me: an epiphany of the importance of ephemeral. It did me just fine to stop, sit, watch, feel, and then reflect and write about what I saw.

Does my theory of the apparent death of all that is ephemeral also mean the death of narrative, of reflection? No; surely it needn’t be that way. Personal artifacts were meant to be reflected upon to illustrate their significance in our lives. I just think it helps to see that reflection in context, that’s all…

I did capture a few images during my travels this week, and have made a sample playlist to try and recapture some of what I’ve been experiencing:


Universal’s City Walk party hosted by Educause (taken from the balcony of the Groove (a bar/dance club)


The “Sky Vodka Blue Room” at the Groove


Monument Circle in the center of downtown Indianapolis


Christ Church Episcopal Cathedral (also in Monument Circle)


Ohio Street, Indianapolis


‘Traveling’ Playlist

You Are the Light (By Which I Travel Into This and That)

Jens Lekman

Space Travel is Boring

Modest Mouse

Magic in the Air

Badly Drawn Boy

To Clean the Air

Eric Matthews

Mourning Air

Portishead

Talk

Coldplay

Streetlights

Josh Rouse

Recycled Air

The Postal Service

Corsair

Boards of Canada

NYC

Interpol

So Here We Are

Bloc Party

The Guard

Goldspot

Orange Sky

Alexi Murdoch

Cincinnati Traveler

Hem

Traffic in the Sky

Jack Johnson

Traveler’s Song

Fruit Bats

Manhattan Skyline

Kings of Convenience

Universal Traveler

Air

I wish I could have recorded my entire journey on video or something. I’ve encountered so many new people, places, and things. I wish I could have taken you all here. Alas, these blog entries are all I have at the moment.

Reflection is all that we may ever have in the end.